Picture hook



Sept 28, 1943. cs. A. MOORE PICTURE HOOK Filed Jan. 27, 1942 fi r 4%? w m 1 g Patented Sept. 28, 1943 UNITED stares FATENT OFFHCE morons Hook George A. Moore, Medford, Mas s. Application January 27, 1942, Serial No. 428,363

1 Claim. (01. 248-217),

This invention relates to hooks adapted to be secured to a wall or other support and to act as a support for pictures and other similar objects.

In hanging pictures a single hook is ordinarily employed, the picture wire being caught on the hook to support the picture. If the picture wire slips in the hook by reason of jarring of the wall or for any other cause, the picture tends to assume a slant which is unsightly. In order to correct this tendency on the part of the pictures, variousdevices have been contrived to prevent the picture wire from slipping through the hook. The present invention is an improved device of this sort which is characterized by simplicity, eifectiveness and ease of manufacture.

According to the present invention, a piece of soft frictional material such as vulcanized rubher is secured in the hook where it will be engaged by the picture wire. The wire is thus gripped by the soft pad and is held against accidental longitudinal movement through the hook but is easily released from the hook if the picture is to be taken down.

For a more complete understanding of the in v vention, reference may be had to the following description of certain embodiments thereof, and to the drawing of which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a picture hook before the insertion of a soft padu Figure 2 is a perspective view of a frictional pad adapted to be mounted in the hook shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the assembled picture hook, but without the supporting nail.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of another modified form of the invention.

Figure '7 is a sectional view of still another form of the invention.

Figure 8 is a front elevation of the hook shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a front elevation of another modification.

Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the hook shown in Figure 9.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the invention may be embodied in a picture hook comprising a strip of any suitable stiff material such as metal bent to shape as shown. The metal portion of the hook comprises a normally vertical rear portion l0, an upper portion i2 which is bent intoa triangular loop and is perforated in a manner'well known in the art to receive a supporting'nailfor pin Ill, and a lower portion it which is bent forward and upward so that it extends at an acute angle from the lower end of the mid-portion H]. The lower portion it thus forms with the mid-portion It! a V-shaped hook or open loop adapted to receive a picture wire or other strand for supporting. the object which is to be hung onthe hook. According to the invention, the po'rtion 16 of the hook is provided with an inturnd flange l8. Betweenthe flange I8 and the lower end of the vertical portion H1 is located a pad 29 of soft frictional material such as soft vulcanized rubber. This pad is preferably formed for a crowded fit in the position indicated in Figure 4, against the inner face of the hook portion It. If the pad is stretched somewhat so as to reduce its cross-sectional area as it is introduced into the space between the flange l8 and the back l0, and the tension is then released, the pad will tend to resume its normal cross-section and will thus bind tightly in the position shown. If desired, a suitable cement may be used to secure the pad in position, but this will not be necessary if the pad is properly fitted. As indicated in Figure 3, the pad is preferably made of such length that it will project slightly beyond the side edges of the metal portion of the hook. a

The metal portion of the hook may be made of ordinary strip stock bent to shape as shown, or may be cast, molded or otherwise formed of metal or of any other suitable material such as a synthetic resin or other plastic.

The frictional pads may be assembled with the hooks in any desired or convenient manner. If these pads are of soft vulcanized rubber, they may be made in the form of a continuous strip molded to have a cross-section of suitable size and shape. A strip of such rubber may then be, stretched to reduce its cross-section and a number of hooks may be placedthereon side by side and suitably spaced apart while the strip is in stretched condition. The strip may then be released so as to permit the rubber to expand to approximately its normal cross-section, thus pressing'tightly against the flanges l8 and the adjacentend portions of the backs Ill. The strip is then severed between each pair of successive hooks, thus completing the operation of assembling.

Figure 5 illustrates a slightly modified form of the invention in which the lower portion 26 of the strip is bent or otherwise formed in such a manner as to receive a pad 30 having a rectangular cross-section. This permits the use of a rubber strip of standard cross-section in place of the special shape shown in Figure 2.

In the forms of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, the frictional pad forms with the vertical portion Iii of the hook a V-channel in which the picture cord is adapted to jam' and to be frictionally gripped by the pad 20. In figure 6, the "V-channeliis whollyiin .the friction pad 32 itself, thegpadibeing fitted into the lower portion 38 of the hook which may be shaped as desired, a curved hook being illustrated in Figure 6. The extremity 38 of the strip is preferably flared outward to facilitate insertion of the picture cord in the hook.

In the form of picture hook shownin Figures 7 and 8, the lower portion ofither strip-is bent or otherwise formed to receive a pad ,50 of substantially rectangular cross-section with iZNVChfiHIlEl orirgromzev52ttoireceivettheipicture mireoor'zcordifii. :Irnztlrisrtormiheaanglenf:the channel .isvw-ider than-:thatsshownrin :Figure 6 -:so-iit-hat thezpdcture wire issfrictionaaliy restrained from sshifln'ng :cbut 11's; not r'jammediiin the Jingle.

iTO :receive'zthe pa'd 650111118 lower oportion of (the istrip FEXTIEDLGS horizontally outward to ifOP-III a z-bottomz-fi5 oand then IVEItiCEZHY upward, i the ex- :tremrlty :being i preferably iflared :outward RES 2 at -5 6' to :guide. therpicture'wvire .into: the channel: 52 L'Ilhe'pad 50 :may bei longer. than-the -widthzof the avhook so iasitoiprojectibeyon d itheuside edges of 58 of the hook narrower than the rest of the hook, as shownin Figure 10, so that the end portions of the pad 59 are unsupported from =.oelow. When a picture is hung on the hook,

the end portions of the pad yield somewhat to avoid sharp angles in the picture Wire where .it passes over the ends of the pads.

"It is evident that various other forms and shapes:of ;hooks 1nay be employed to embody the invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following iI:claim:

A'picture ihook comprising a strip of :stiff material having a normally vertical mid-portioniandxal-lower.portion bentupward to make :an acute angle'with said c-rrud portion an in- .turned flange :zat the extremity-of said lower portion of thestrip and. a;.piece of relatively soft :frictionaLmater-ial fittediagainst the inner .faceofsaid lowerjportionzbetweensaidbend and the :inturned :fia-nge.

xG-EORGE -'.A.V.MOORE. 

